Common Types of Arthritis

There are 3 Common Types of Arthritis

While there are many more types of arthritis these are the ones we see and treat most frequently.

Juvenile Arthritis (JA)

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Osteoarthritis (OA)

Juvenile Arthritis (JA)

Juvenile arthritis (JA) is also known as Childhood Arthritis. Juvenile arthritis is one of the most common childhood diseases and is any form of arthritis that develops under the age of 16. Juvenile Arthritis is a chronic, autoimmune disease where the body attacks the healthy joints. It affects approximately a quarter of a million children and teens. Three classifications of juvenile arthritis exist-juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA), and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) of which, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the most common.

Symptoms of Juvenile Arthritis may include:

joint pain

tenderness

stiffness

swelling

destruction of the cartilage

Causes of the attack on the joints of Juvenile Arthritis are mostly unknown.

Treatment of Juvenile Arthritis generally involves:

exercise

physical therapy

splints

occupational therapy

nutritional therapy

medication

surgery

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks the joints. This results in long-lasting swelling throughout the body but mostly in your flexible joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can be incredibly debilitating and painful, in many cases leading to significant loss of movement and function.

About 0.6% of the United States adult population has rheumatoid arthritis where women are two to three times more likely to have it as men. Most people develop rheumatoid arthritis in middle age but any age can be affected. The cause of the autoimmune response is unknown but there are many treatment options.

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis may include:

joint pain

tenderness

stiffness

swelling

destruction of the cartilage

joint fusion – loss of motion of joint

Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis are mostly unknown though some of the cause may be genetic.

Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis generally involves:

physical therapy

bracing

occupational therapy

nutritional therapy

pain medication known as analgesics

anti-inflammatory drugs, including steroids

disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) slow or halt the progress of the disease

joint replacement

Osteoarthritis (OA)

Osteoarthritis is a very common disease of the joints. In fact, it affects about 27 million people in the United States.

Is also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease or osteoarthrosis and results in a breaking down of the joints including the hip, knee, shoulder, hand, foot and elbow.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis may include:

joint pain

tenderness

stiffness

locking

swelling

Causes of Osteoarthritis may include:

hereditary – you are born with it

developmental – you develop the disease over time

metabolic – your body’s chemistry impacts your joint

trauma-injury damages the joint or its alignment

Each of these causes leads to the bones in your joint to become less protected leading to your bone being exposed, damaged and painful. Typically, this results in decreased movement, flexibility and muscle strength.

Treatment of osteoarthritis generally involves:

exercise

pain medication known as analgesics

lifestyle modification

weight loss

bracing

physical therapy

joint replacement

We always look to the least invasive treatment possible for our patients but if pain becomes debilitating, joint replacement surgery may be recommended to improve the quality of life. Dr. Davenport is an experienced and seasoned joint replacement expert and has performed many thousands joint replacements over the course of his career.

Have you been told you need your hip, shoulder or knee replaced or are you considering joint replacement?

Dr. Stephen R Davenport is an experienced and seasoned joint replacement expert and one of the few Orthopedic Surgeons in Oklahoma who has completed an additional training Fellowship in joint replacement.

He receives numerous referrals from other physicians, is a sought after joint replacement specialist and has performed many thousands of joint replacements over the course of his career.